Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-30
BUTTE COUNTY.
A Brief Sketch of Its Extent and Marvel
Gus Productions

Inc county OF butte received Its name
from the Butte mountains, which rise so
slnguiarly from the level plains, and are
not In that county but in the county ad-
joining on the south-Sutter. When the
State was being carved into counties, Butte
was among the first formed, and included
all of Plumas, the greater portion of Las
sen, part of Tehama, Colusa and Suffer,
and all of the present territory known as
Butte county. In the subsequent divisions
to which the county was subjected, Butte
was shorn of those prominent landmarks
from which she derives her name.
Though reduced vastly in size from
her early proportions, she yet possesses a
domain of no mean limits, and has as
much, if not more diversity of mountain,
hill and valley-thus giving herropulation
diversified pursuits-than any other county
in the State. 1t is bounded on the north
by Tehama, on the east by Plumas, on the
south by Yuba and Suffer, and on the west
by Colusa and Tehama. The Sacramento
river borders ii for few miles on the
west, and Butte creek, which rises in the
northeastern corner and flows diagonally
across to the southwestern border Of the
county, emptying into the Sacramento,
forms also a portion of its western bound
airy line. Honcut creek, small tributary
OF Feather river, forms, for. portion of
the distance, the southern boundary line
dividing Butte from Yuba.
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.
Through the itch agricultural section
In the Sacramento valley passes the Cali
tornia and Oregon Railroad, giving every
facility to that portion for rapid passenger
and freight transportation, and the Cali
fornia Northern Railroad runs from Marys-
vile, in 4uba county, to Oroville the
| county seat of Butte. These facilities,
| together with the Sacramento river on the
west, give Butte excellent transportation
| advantages, and have aided materially
| towards her development and prosperity.
The county has an area of about LAG
miles, or III ,440 acres large portion of
fertile valley land, besides thousands of
acres in the gold-bearing regions of the
Sierras- of the vast number of acres but
l9o, $40 are classed as agricultural, 36S, $40
as timber, and 800 as mineral. Many
acres, however, laid down on the map as
timber and mineral are at the present time
in cultivation and assessed as such. The
latest returns gives the total number of
| lands under cultivation as 304,677, divided
as follows: Wheat, 127 ,189 acres; corn.
1925: barley, =, 2SS oats, 41S; VINEYARDS.
$40. That these figures are not accurate.
but misleading, and do not do Justice to
the county, is apparent, when nothing is
given Of the orchard area, which we know
TO amount to thousands of acres.
The land is also classed as follows: Val
ley land, 595 square miles, of which 20
square miles are adobe lands; lower foot
hills, 500 square miles and higher foot
hills more properly mountains), 16S
square miles. The valley lands of the Sac
ramento are from twelve to twenty miles
wide throughout the length of the county.
The area of cultivated lands is HI acres
to the square mile, and the population is
los to the square mile throughout the
county. The total population is set down
as 1921, but as the county has recently
been increasing very rapidly in its settle
ment, 1t can now safely be set down as
| nearly $4,000.
THE RAISING OF CATTLE AND SHEEP
Has always been an important and profit
able industry in Butte. Formerly the
rich plains of the Sacramento valley were
| used for this pur Sc, and vast herds were
kept on the large ranches. But the steady
increase in the value of the lands, and the
greater profits in grain growing, aided by
the construction Of the railroads, have
driven the cattle and sheep men to more
sequestered and less valuable lands, lust as
surely as the raising Of fruit will in many
places drive out production of grain when
the success of those who have already. en-
gagged in it has been more clearly shown.
RANCHO DEL ARROYO CHICO.
Butte county contains within her bor-
ders some of the finest improved ranches
on the coast, and the one of the widest
celebrity and under the most perfect svs-
TEN of cultivation is that of General John
Bidwell-which consists of $4,000 acres
known as the Rancho del Arroyo Chico,
lying adjacent TO the town of Chico. The
first house was erected thereon in lS49,
and which was burned in 1852. A new
one, an adobe, was erected, and stood until
superseded by the present magnificent
residence, which cost 100000. Mr.. Bid
well set out the first fruit trees in 1852.
which was the commencement Of the splen-
did orchards which now cover thousands of
acres and yield thousands of tons of
fruit. While large portion of this fruit
is marketed green, immense quantities are
annually dried by large evaporators and
shipped to distant markets. Besides fruits
of all kinds, large vineyards and almonds
and English waluuts are extensively
raised, as also blackberries and strawber-
ries Beautiful drives are laid out through
the place, and flowers and rare and beauti-
full plants are abundantly grown In fact,
1t is ono Of the most beautiful and thor
oughly cultivated Of our large California
ranches. The town of Chico is one of the
most beautiful Of Northern California, has
a population at the present time of ABOUT
5000, and is rapidly growing.
TIE MINING INDUsTRY.
Gold was first discovered on the Feather
river in lS49 by General BidwelI, and
thousands Of miners Immediately ranged
themselves along that river and its tribu-
taries to engage in its extraction. 1t was
the rule of the miners to 90 to the noun
tains during the summer and work the
beds o. the small streams when they were
dry, and in the winter to come down to the
foothills and the valleys and en-
gage in placer mining. As water is the
great requisite in all kinds OF
mining, and ON some of the richest mining
ground there being none naturally, com
panies or associations were formed to dig
bitches to bring water to the mines to sell,
and in this manner originated many of the
large water companies, with their rights